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Residents Breathe Easier in Omaha

Aja Anderson, Douglas County Health Department, says Omaha ranks second among US cities for its availability of smoke-free housing

The rankings came out in the July issue of a family housing industry magazine published by the National Apartment Association. 

Anderson says Apartment Guide analyzed more than 20,000 listings which were collected from metro areas.

The Guide then ranked those cities that had at least 100 listings. 

According to Anderson, smoke-free housing not only benefits tenants but also landlords.

"When they are turning over these apartments and getting ready for new tenants to move in, they have reduced costs such as they don’t have to replace the carpet as much because there are fewer cigarette burns.  They spend less time painting because they don’t have to do as many layers.  And a lot of the time, there are small things in apartments that need to be replaced, such as your outlets.”

Anderson says the biggest benefit to both landlords and tenants is the reduced fire risk. 

Additionally, tenants suffer fewer health issues because they can breathe better.